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Are you desperately seeking guidance to mend your mangled finances? Or maybe you’re just starting out in the real world and want to take your finances more seriously.
Consider an online financial literacy course to lend a helping hand. It doesn’t matter where you are on your financial journey; there are classes for all skill levels. They can help you learn the basics, tackle a difficult financial goal or hone your money management and wealth-building skills.
Best Financial Literacy Courses:
- The Complete Personal Finance Course: Save, Protect and Make More by Udemy
- Managing Your Personal Finances by LinkedIn Learning
- Get Out of Debt Fast — A Proven Plan to Stay Debt-Free Forever by Udemy
- Credit Repair: The 2020 Total Guide to a Great Credit Score by Udemy
- Investing 101: How to Start Investing in 4 Simple Steps by Udemy
- 8 Steps to Wealth through Real Estate by Udemy
- Beginner’s Guide to Managing Money [Financial Literacy] by Udemy
- Financial Literacy in Times of Crisis by Udemy
- Importance of Estate Planning by Udemy
What Makes a Financial Literacy Course Great?
A quick online search produces hundreds, even thousands, of financial literacy course options. Some offer sound advice and others don’t quite live up to the hype. Here’s what to look for when narrowing down your top choices.
1. Supplementary Resources
Most online financial literacy courses provide instruction through video lectures. But the best classes also include supplementary resources, like readings, quizzes and case studies that allow you to apply your newfound knowledge.
2. Self-Paced
There’s so much to know about personal finance, so you want a class that allows you to work at your own pace and fully grasp the material. Self-paced courses mean you won’t have to rush through the lectures, readings and assignments (without fully understanding) just to meet a deadline.
3. Affordable
If money’s tight, don’t overspend on a financial literacy course. Look for free or affordable options to get the ball rolling. Once you’re a bit more stable, consider classes with a heftier price tag. Keep in mind that even with paid courses, the enrollment fee should be comparable to similar offerings online.
Best Online Financial Literacy Courses
Want to learn the basics of personal finance? Here are our top picks to get a bird’s-eye view of financial literacy.
1. The Complete Personal Finance Course: Save, Protect and Make More by Udemy
The Complete Personal Finance Course: Save, Protect and Make More introduces the foundational elements of money management. This Udemy bestseller is ideal if you want to make your money work for you.
A seat in this course includes full lifetime access to 122 lectures jam-packed into 16 hours of on-demand video, 2 articles and 7 downloadable resources. You’ll also receive a certificate of completion when you finish the course.
The class is facilitated by Chris Haroun, an award-winning MBA professor, venture capitalist and author. To date, he’s taught more than 200,000 students in his bestselling Udemy courses.
Know Microsoft Excel (version 2013 or newer) before you register.
- Quick Courses
2. Managing Your Personal Finances by LinkedIn Learning (Formerly Lynda.com)
- Who it's for: Beginners
- Price: Included with a monthly membership
In a little over an hour, this course teaches you the mechanics of personal finances. It is divided into 4 parts: earning, spending, saving and investing.
You’ll explore different types of income, taxation, ways to earn more and how to plan for future earnings. The class also includes lessons on best practices for budgeting, spending, saving and investment strategies.
Enrollment is included with a monthly LinkedIn Learning membership, or you can grab a free seat by registering for a 1-month trial.
Instructor Jane Barratt is a FINRA-accredited registered investment advisor.
3. Get Out of Debt Fast — A Proven Plan to Stay-Debt Free Forever by Udemy
Tired of drowning in a sea of debt? Whether you have loans, credit cards or both, this highly-rated course from Udemy can help you devise a strategy to find relief.
When you enroll, you’ll have instant access to 27 lectures condensed into 2 hours of on-demand video and 5 downloadable resources.
The course is led by personal finance expert Laura Adams. She’s an award-winning author and the host of Money Girl podcast.
Have access to spreadsheet software, like Microsoft Excel, and a calculator prior to enrollment.
4. Credit Repair: The 2020 Total Guide to a Great Credit Score by Udemy
Want to learn how to raise your credit score without spending a fortune on credit repair companies? Credit Repair: The 2020 Total Guide to a Great Credit Score will show you how.
Credit repair coach Craig Randall draws from years of experience to teach you proven strategies to boost your credit health. He covers credit scores, credit reports, disputes, personal statements and more.
The enrollment fee includes full lifetime access to 50 lectures condensed into 3 hours of on-demand video and 3 downloadable resources to facilitate your comprehension.
5. Investing 101: How to Start Investing in 4 Simple Steps by Udemy
Investing 101: How to Start Investing in 4 Simple Steps will teach you about the various investment vehicles, along with the wealth-building secrets of millionaires.
The course is comprised of 13 lectures and broken down into 4 components:
- Step 1: Set a Foundation for Wealth-Building
- Step 2: Learn the Fundamentals of Smart Investing
- Step 3: Build Your Investment Portfolio
- Step 4: Automate and Maintain
Instructor Nathan Winkepleck is an investment professional with more than 10 years of industry experience. He also holds a Registered Paraplanner designation from the College for Financial Planning.
6. 8 Steps to Wealth through Real Estate by Udemy
Why not tackle real estate instead of stocks and bonds? This highly-rated course from Udemy can get you started with just $100.
Real estate investor and serial entrepreneur Scott Picken takes the following step-by-step approach to teach you the ropes:
- Step 1: Investor Test
- Step 2: Pillars of Wealth
- Step 3: Your Journey Plan
- Step 4: Your Flight Path
- Step 5: Get Started
- Step 6: Track Progress
You can enroll today and get instant access to 17 lectures that span just over 2 hours. The course also includes 2 articles for more guidance.
![Beginner’s Guide to Managing Money [Financial Literacy]](https://img-a.udemycdn.com/course/480x270/3078178_385e_2.jpg?0UduYoAfrKovi6CmdJADxMkQXqM6Fhc-LCqZX-_7o0535womd8d3bFuP9kNkMfWSqPCVoDHEU8ex23E8DN_LB8DGFN95QVYYMASx8YfcNtfJhKRkYXpO_YVVWkahQwXj?optimize=medium&dpr=2&auto=webp&width=256)
7. Beginner’s Guide to Managing Money [Financial Literacy] by Udemy
Who it’s for: Beginners
Price: On sale
Do you want to improve your financial literacy and learn to budget with ease? Certified public accountant and finance educator Nelson Soh has you covered in this highly-rated, introductory course.
Beginner’s Guide to Managing Money [Financial Literacy] includes these segments:
- Introduction
- Audit Ourselves
- Earning Income
- Spending Money
- Saving Money
- Goal-Setting
- How to Create a Budget
- Full Course Review and Next Steps
You will walk away with extensive money management knowledge and the skills and expertise needed to teach your children about money.
It’s only $29.99 to enroll, and you will also get full lifetime access to 24 downloadable resources.
8. Financial Literacy in Times of Crisis by Udemy
Who it’s for: Beginners
Price: On sale
Finance and business trainer Ted Wainman discusses the significance of financial literacy in this intermediate course from Udemy.
The class spans 30 minutes and features 8 lectures that business managers, directors, entrepreneurs and key stakeholders will find beneficial. If you’re looking to invest in your own personal development or career, this course is also suitable.
There’s no cost to register, and you can get started right away.
9. Importance of Estate Planning by Udemy
Who it’s for: Advanced students
Price: On sale
If you’re a career professional seeking estate planning tips, this course is for you. It’s presented by the Institute for Financial Literacy and shares valuable insights on the significance of estate planning, why people avoid it, the estate planning process and more.
The class features these on-demand video lectures from financial literacy trainer Ferris Wee:
- Introduction to Estate Planning
- Avoiding Estate Planning
- Thinking of Our Family
- The Unintended Consequences of Intestacy
- Overview of Estate Planning
- Ascertaining the Assets You Own
- Determine How You Want Your Estate to Be Distributed
It only takes a few minutes to sign up, and you can get started for free.
Choose the Right Financial Literacy Course for You
You want to align your finances with your future goals. Consider one of our recommended financial literacy courses to get on track and develop sound money management habits and start building wealth.
Before you enroll, review the syllabus to ensure the class covers what you’re looking for. Start with a beginner course to develop a solid financial foundation and move on to intermediate and advanced courses with more in-depth strategies when you’re ready.
Your top options should also be self-paced, affordable and include supplementary resources to give you a holistic financial learning experience.
Related content: Best Quantitative Finance Courses
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